Fabric blind slat

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a fabric blind slat (10). The fabric blind slat (10) includes an elongated strip (12) of fabric characterised in that the strip of fabric (12) has at least one longitudinally extending pocket (14) on a longitudinal edge (16, 18) into which a relatively rigid support member (20) is insertable. 
     The present invention also relates to a fabric venetian blind assembly (30) and a method for the production of a fabric venetian blind assembly (30).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a fabric blind slat. In particular, thepresent invention relates to a fabric blind slat for venetian blinds.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Blinds for covering windows and other light transparent surfaces areavailable in a variety of different forms and materials depending on theparticular visual appearance desired. The known items for controllingthe amount of light through a transparent surface include venetianblinds, roller blinds and vertical blinds.

Fabric blinds are popular blinds for use in buildings and areextensively used in vertical blinds for their aesthetic appeal.

However, a problem exists for the use of fabric in horizontal blindslats since the fabric is not strong enough to lie in a horizontal planewithout sagging. Hence, at the present time slats are usually made ofmetal and/or wood.

The present invention seeks to overcome the abovementioned problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there isprovided a fabric blind slat including an elongated strip of fabriccharacterised in that the strip of fabric has at least onelongitudinally extending pocket on a longitudinal edge into which arelatively rigid support member is insertable.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there isprovided a fabric venetian blind assembly characterised by:

(a) a plurality of fabric blind slats including an elongated strip offabric characterised in that the strip of fabric has at least onelongitudinally extending pocket on a longitudinal edge into which arelatively rigid support member is insertable:

(c) connecting ladder ropes or connecting tape;

(d) venetian blind head box; and

(e) one or more draw cords.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention there isprovided a method for the assembly of a fabric venetian blindcharacterised by including the following steps:

(a) forming a fabric blind slat including an elongated strip of fabriccharacterised in that the strip of fabric has at least onelongitudinally extending pocket on a longitudinal edge;

(b) inserting a relatively rigid support member into the said pocket;and

(c) connecting the fabric blind slats by way of connecting ladder ropesor tape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings; in which:

FIG. 1a is an upper perspective view of a fabric blind slat inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1b is a partly cut away second upper perspective view of the fabricblind slat in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1c is an end view of the fabric blind slat in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2a is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a fabric venetianblind assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2b is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a fabricvenetian blind assembly in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

There is shown in FIG. 1a, an upper perspective view of a fabric blindslat 10. The fabric blind slat 10 may be made from any suitable fabricincluding but not limited to polyester yarn, acrylic yarn, nylon,cotton, wool, polypropylene and any other fabric suitable for use infabric blinds.

The fabric blind slat 10 includes an elongated central strip 12 ofsuitable fabric material. The slat 10 has a longitudinally extendingpocket 14 at a first longitudinal edge 16 of the blind 10. Similarly,the slat 10 has a longitudinally extending pocket 14 at a secondlongitudinal edge 18 of the blind 10. The longitudinally extendingpocket 14 is closed longitudinally at a first side 20 and a second side22 as shown in FIG. 1.

There is shown in FIG. 1b, a partly cut away second upper perspectiveview of the fabric blind slat 10 having typically two longitudinallyextending pockets 14. The pockets 14 have a longitudinally extendingspace 15 within the fabric blind slat 10. A support member 24 ofrelatively rigid material is inserted within the space 15 of the pockets14.

This relatively rigid member 24 is typically a rod made from fibreglass,a plastics material such as PVC or, nylon, metal, wood, or any othersuitable material to increase the strength and to provide support of theslat 10. Typically, the relatively rigid member 24 is also resilient.There is also shown in FIG. 1c an end view of the fabric blind slat 10.This end view shows the cross section of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. The central strip 12, longitudinally extendingpockets 14, longitudinally extending space 15 and support member 24 areshown in this figure.

The slat 10 may also have one or more additional layers of suitablefabric material (not shown) in the central strip 12 and/or thelongitudinally extending pockets 14. It is envisaged that amulti-layered fabric blind slat 10 would fall within the scope of thepresent invention.

In FIGS. 2a and 2b, there is shown a perspective view of a venetianblind assembly 30 incorporating the fabric blind slat 10. The onlydifference between FIGS. 2a and 2b is that a connecting tape 38 is shownin FIG. 2a as a means to join the slats 10 at their longitudinal sides20 and 22 respectively, instead of connecting ladder ropes 40 as shownin FIG. 2b. The connecting ladder ropes 40 include cross members 39 uponwhich a fabric blind slat is supported.

In FIGS. 2a and 2b, there is shown a venetian blind assembly 30. Theassembly 30 includes a head box 32, two pairs of draw cords 34 and 36,connecting tape 38 (as shown in FIG. 2a) or first connecting ladderropes 40 (as shown in FIG. 2b) which join the fabric blind slats 10 attheir longitudinal sides 20 and 22 respectively, and a guard rail 52.

The fabric blind slats 10 include a first aperture 42 towards a frontend 44. The fabric blind slats 10 also include a second aperture 46towards a rear end 48. A pair of connecting ropes 50 extend from theheadbox 32 through the apertures 42 and 46 and end in the guard rail 52which is at a lower end of the venetian blind assembly 30.

The fabric blind slat 10 is made by weaving yarns of suitable fabric toform an elongated strip 12 of fabric material with integrally formedlongitudinal pockets 14.

The longitudinally extending pockets 14 may also be formed by forming ahem on an elongated strip of fabric on either side, or both longitudinaledges 16 and 18.

A weaving apparatus such as an automatic narrow loom machine can beutilised to make the fabric blind slat of the present invention.

EXAMPLE

A high speed automatic narrow loom weaving machine that has thefollowing specifications is utilised to make the fabric blind slat ofthe present invention.

    ______________________________________                                        Maximum number of fabrics:                                                                    4                                                             Reed width:     maximum of 65 mm                                              Maximum speed:  1600 rpm                                                      Pick density:   3.5 to 38 wefts per cm                                        Repeat:         1/48                                                          Number of shafts:                                                                             maximum of 16                                                 Motor:          2 HP brake motor with inching speed                           ______________________________________                                    

The high speed automatic narrow loom machine is a 4 piece loom that hasa very high output needle loom for a variety of fabrics.

A fabric yarn is provided on suitable rolls and fed into the automaticnarrow loom machine. An operator sets the pattern on the machine suchthat the yarn is weaved into an integral roll of narrow fabric materialsuch that a pair of longitudinally extending pockets are formed on theouter edges of the material. The rearrangement of specific frames on themachine to give a suitable warp and weft insertion provides the means bywhich the yarn is suitably weaved into integrally formed pockets. Theroll of narrow fabric material comprising the longitudinally extendingpockets is collected on a roll in long lengths up to 1000 m.

Suitable fabric yarns include polyester or acrylic yarn, nylon, cotton,wool, polypropylene and any other fabric suitable for use in fabricblinds.

The rolls of narrow fabric material comprising the longitudinallyextending pockets are then fed into a suitable colouring and finishingmachine by which colours and an acrylic coating are provided to thenarrow fabric material. The rolls of narrow fabric material are firstlydipped into a vat which has rollers to wring out excessive colour in thefabric.

The fabric material is then transported by a conveyor belt through apre-drying process which heat sets the colour and hardens the acryliccoating by placing in an oven at a temperature of 150 to 200 degreesCelsius.

The rolls of narrow fabric material, once dryed, are collected on aroll. The roll of coloured and treated fabric material is then cut intosuitable lengths for different sized slats. The appropriate holes arealso punched into the slat for ladder tapes and/or cord for a venetianblind.

Once, the material is cut into suitable lengths, a relatively rigidmaterial rod is inserted into the longitudinally extending pockets.

Conventional venetian blind headboxes, ladder tapes and /or cords areprovided such that the fabric venetian blind is formed.

Alternatively, an automatic knitting machine may be utililised to makethe blind slat of the present invention and which may also knitadditional shaping to each longitudinal edge. A fabric yarn is providedon suitable rolls and fed into the automatic knitting machine. Anoperator sets the pattern on the machine such that the yarn is knittedinto an integral roll of narrow fabric material such that a pair oflongitudinally extending pockets are formed on the outer edges of thematerial. The rearrangement of specific frames on the machine to give asuitable warp and weft insertion provides the means by which the yarn issuitably knitted into integrally formed pockets. The roll of narrowfabric material comprising the longitudinally extending pockets iscollected on a roll in long lengths up to 1000 m.

The automatic knitting machine achieves the formation of thelongitudinally extending pocket by the insertion of a flexible spacerelement. The spacer element is substituted in the automatic knittingmachine for an automatic needle which is removed. The automatic knittingmachine by way of rearrangement of specific frames to provide a suitablewarp and weft insertion pattern sews an integrally formed pocket aroundthe spacer element. The spacer element may be any suitable elongatedlength of a fabric cord.

Suitable fabric yarns include polyester or acrylic yarn, nylon, cotton,wool, polypropylene and any other fabric suitable for use in fabricblinds.

An advantage of the automatic knitting machine is that additional shapessuch as scolloped edges may be knitted on the longitudinal edges 16 and18 of the fabric blind slat 10.

The rolls of narrow fabric material comprising the longitudinallyextending pockets are then fed into a suitable colouring and finishingmachine by which colours and an acrylic coating are provided to thenarrow fabric material. The rolls of narrow fabric material are firstlydipped into a vat which has rollers to wring out excessive colour in thefabric.

The fabric material is then transported by a conveyor belt through apre-drying process which heat sets the colour and hardens the acryliccoating by placing in an oven at a temperature of 150 to 200 degreesCelsius.

The rolls of narrow fabric material, once dryed, are collected on aroll. The roll of coloured and treated fabric material is then cut intosuitable lengths for different sized slats. The appropriate holes arealso punched into the slat for ladder tapes and/or cord for a venetianblind.

Once the narrow fabric material is cut into the desired lengths of theslat 10, one end of the spacer element is threaded and secured into oneend of the relatively rigid support member 24. The spacer element ispulled from the other end thereby inserting the support member 24 intothe longitudinally extending pockets 14. This process is repeated foreach longitudinal pocket containing the spacer element.

The example of the present invention only serves to describe preferredembodiments of the invention and other methods of forming thelongitudinally extending pockets by way of sewing a hem or knitting thelongitudinally extending pockets are within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

As discussed hereinabove, it is envisaged that fabric blind slatsincluding longitudinal pockets could be modified into different shapessuch that scolloped edges could be knitted along the longitudinal edgeto provide further aesthetic appeal to the fabric blind.

Modifications and variations such as would be apparent to a skilledaddresee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

I claim:
 1. A fabric venetian blind slat comprising an elongated stripof fabric having a central strip with opposed longitudinal edges, arespective longitudinally extending pocket on each longitudinal edge,and a respective relatively rigid support member inserted into eachlongitudinally extending pocket, wherein each longitudinally extendingpocket is integrally formed with the central strip and, in crosssection, has a seamless endless periphery, and each relatively rigidsupport member is removably inserted in the respective longitudinallyextending pocket.
 2. A fabric venetian blind slat in accordance withclaim 1, wherein each longitudinally extending pocket is made of thesame fabric material as the central strip of fabric.
 3. A fabricvenetian blind slat in accordance with claim 1, wherein the elongatedstrip of fabric is made from polyester, nylon, cotton, wool,polypropylene, acrylic material or a mixture thereof.
 4. A fabricvenetian blind slat in accordance with claim 1, wherein the relativelyrigid support member is made from fiberglass, metal, wood, polyvinylchloride, nylon or other plastics material.
 5. A fabric venetian blindslat in accordance with claim 1, wherein the relatively rigid supportmember is resilient.
 6. A fabric venetian blind assembly including:(a) aplurality of fabric venetian blind slats each comprising an elongatedstrip of fabric having a central strip with opposed longitudinal edges,a respective longitudinally extending pocket on each longitudinal edge,and a respective relatively rigid support member inserted into eachlongitudinally extending pocket, wherein each longitudinally extendingpocket is integrally formed with the central strip and, in crosssection, has a seamless endless periphery, and each relatively rigidsupport member is removably inserted in the respective longitudinallyextending pocket; (b) a connecting ladder rope or a connecting tape; (c)a venetian blind head box; and (d) one or more draw cords.
 7. A fabricvenetian blind assembly in accordance with claim 6, wherein eachlongitudinally extending pocket is made of the same fabric material asthe central strip of fabric.
 8. A fabric venetian blind assembly inaccordance with claim 6, wherein the strip of fabric is made frompolyester, nylon, cotton, wool, polypropylene, acrylic material ormixture thereof.
 9. A fabric venetian blind assembly in accordance withclaim 6, wherein the relatively rigid support member is made fromfiberglass, metal, wood, polyvinyl chloride, nylon or other plasticsmaterial.
 10. A fabric venetian blind assembly in accordance with claim6, wherein the relatively rigid support member is resilient.
 11. Amethod for the assembly of a fabric venetian blind including thefollowing steps:(a) forming a fabric venetian blind slat comprising anelongated strip of fabric having a central strip with opposedlongitudinal edges, a respective longitudinally extending pocket on eachlongitudinal edge, and a respective relatively rigid support memberinserted into each longitudinally extending pocket, wherein eachlongitudinally extending pocket is integrally formed with the centralstrip and, in cross section, has a seamless endless periphery, and eachrelatively rigid support member is removably inserted in the respectivelongitudinally extending pocket; and (b) connecting the fabric blindslats by way of a connecting ladder rope or a tape.
 12. A method for theproduction of a fabric venetian blind assembly in accordance with claim11, wherein in that the fabric blind slat is formed in step (a) by wayof an automatic needle loom machine.
 13. A method for the production ofa fabric venetian blind assembly in accordance with claim 11, whereinthe fabric blind slat is formed in step (a) by way of an automaticknitting machine.